6 One-Time Tricks to Boost Your Small Business SEO Campaigns
Put these six tricks to good use in your SEO campaign, and watch your rankings climb. Back up your efforts with a strong content marketing and offsite backlink building campaign, and you’ll be a force to be reckoned with.
Sales Renewal’s insight:
Some good advice – although the article makes it all sound a lot easier than it really is! – except for #4. I don’t think that’s the right route to take. What do you think?
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The Nifty Guide to Local Content Strategy and Marketing
Learn how to grow your target audience and improve your local SEO with a strong local content strategy.
Sales Renewal’s insight:
This article is a well-thought-out overview of how to think about local marketing. Even though it’s not “just” about the written word, if you’re a local business, the written word is a powerful tool for raising awareness of your business.
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What Do I Need to Know About #mobilegeddon
We’ve fielded quite a few questions this week about what is now known as #mobilegeddon – Google’s new search update which factors mobile-friendliness in its search rankings. The most frantic of these questions was from a client who told us: “We’ve heard Google is going to shut down our website.”
We can tell you that this is not going to happen.
What is going to happen, is that you could start seeing your web traffic – and therefore leads – decline. The extent of that decline depends on how much of your traffic is generated by mobile organic search. Clients with 2% of site visits arriving via mobile search will probably not notice a huge change in traffic. Those with more mobile organic search traffic – like restaurants, real estate brokers, and other local shops – are more likely to be impacted. (Not sure if your site is mobile friendly? Find out how to test it here.)
Of course, even if you’re seeing mobile traffic in the 2% range, having a responsive site is not something to put off, as that could be the very reason your mobile traffic is light. While your audience may be desktop-based now, more and more people are going “mobile only, ” which means they may never use a desktop. Or, your traffic could be light because a poor mobile user experience means the users won’t stick around on your site, and most certainly won’t come back.
No Time for Panic
If you’re in an industry – like engineering – which tends to lag behind digital trends, you have some time to make sure your site is responsive. On the other hand, even in those lagging industries, the sooner you act, the sooner you may be able to draw visitors away from your competition. If you’re in an industry where most of your competitors are mobile-friendly, then it’s definitely time to join the ranks. Let us know how we can help.
Sales Renewal’s insight:
We’ve fielded quite a few questions this week about what is now known as #mobilegeddon – Google’s new search update which factors mobile-friendliness in its search rankings. The most frantic of these questions was from a client who told us: “We’ve heard Google is going to shut down our website.”
We can tell you that this is not going to happen.What we can tell you…
Google Adds “Mobile Friendliness” to Its Search Criteria
“Many businesses around the world could wake up on Tuesday to discover their search ranking has been downgraded. After a months long warning period, Google will add “mobile friendliness” to the 200 or so factors it uses to list websites on its search engine. As a result, websites that don’t meet Google’s criteria will tumble in its all-important rankings.”
Sales Renewal’s insight:
Is your website mobile friendly? Read our recent Growth Spurts blog post to find out.
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Why You Need a Mobile-Friendly Site Now
If you’ve recently launched or upgraded your website, chances are you’re in good shape for April 21. That’s the day Google will add “mobile-friendliness” as a search ranking signal.The company has even gone so far as to state that the change will have “a significant impact” in its search results. This is in response to the fact that, according to Google:
In the USA, 94% of people with smartphones search for local information on their phones… 77% of mobile searches occur at home or at work, [even though they are] places where desktop computers are likely to be present.
We’ve written before about the importance of a mobile-friendly website. If you’re not sure if your website will fit the bill, Google has a quick mobile-friendly test here. Just plug in your website address and you’ll get a pass or a fail.
This change will be rolling out globally over the next few weeks. A page is eligible for the “mobile-friendly” label if it meets the following criteria as detected by Googlebot:
- Avoids software that is not common on mobile devices, like Flash
- Uses text that is readable without zooming
- Sizes content to the screen so users don’t have to scroll horizontally or zoom
- Places links far enough apart so that the correct one can be easily tapped
A Better User Experience
There are two issues with a non-mobile site. First, it’s not a great user experience. Not sure how many visitors are coming to your site on a mobile device? A quick check of your Google Analytics will show you.* Among Sales Renewal clients, we see anywhere from 5% to over 35% of total traffic (search, referrals, ads, etc.) from mobile/tablet users. This can mean a good number of users who are not getting a great experience on your site.
The New Search Algorithm
The second issue is Google’s April 21 algorithm update. Sites that do not pass the mobile-friendly test could lose half their mobile search once this change kicks in. Among our clients, this change will affect anywhere from 3% to over 23% of total traffic.* If you’re on the low end of this range, losing half of your mobile search traffic may not greatly affect your site’s performance today. But it would be a mistake to view this as a reason to put off creating a mobile-friendly website – as more and more search moves to smartphones and tablets, mobile search will become increasingly important for all businesses.
Google provides a lot of information about ways businesses can fix their sites, and we would hope that you have tested your site (or your developers have already discussed with you changes you can make). If you have questions about the process, or would like Sales Renewal to evaluate your site, please let us know. We’ve audited all our clients’ sites and made upgrades where necessary, and we can do the same for you.
?* To check what percent of your visitors are from mobile, from your Google Analytics account, select Audience > Mobile > Overview. To see the source of your mobile traffic, add Secondary Dimension > Acquisition > Default
Source: Google Webmaster Central
Sales Renewal’s insight:
If you’ve recently launched or upgraded your website, chances are you’re in good shape for April 21. That’s the day Google will add “mobile-friendliness” as a search ranking signal.The company has even gone so far as to state that the change will have “a significant impact” in its search results…
February Digital Marketing Advice Roundup – Outsourced Marketing, the Role of SEO and More
Looking for more information like this? The Sales Renewal Advice from Across the Web page features a selection of the best, actionable marketing and technology advice and, importantly, adds our perspective. Think of it as a Marketing Clipping Service for the modern world.
Here, then, are our favorite tips for the month:
Marketing Plans: From Hubspot, some advice about What to Cut From Your Marketing in 2015. As is so often the case, the rule of thumb is, “everything in moderation.” Sure, it’s fun to jump on every bandwagon that comes along, but by keeping the big picture perspective, you can be sure your marketing efforts are targeted and – more importantly – something you’re able to do without being overwhelmed.
Outsourced Marketing: If you’re running a business, you may feel that digital marketing is something you can do yourself. But a recent survey shows that even small businesses- 35% of them – hire outsourced marketing firms to help them create content and maintain a strong digital presence. Learn about the many advantages of such a firm here.
Local SEO: How do you make sure your local digital presence is as strong as your physical presence? According to Search Engine Land, it’s important to look at the big picture. In Local SEO In 2015 – Look At The Big Picture, author Greg Gifford summarizes: “You’ve got to work on everything” and “You have to be a jack-of-all-trades.” Sounds overwhelming, but it can be done with the right tools and support.
LinkedIn Advertising: Many businesses have been successful reaching prospective customers on LinkedIn with Sponsored Updates. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. This article has some useful takeaways when considering a sponsored post on LinkedIn:
- Don’t talk about yourself.
- Keep it simple.
- Images matter.
Read the full article here.
Content Marketing: Got a blog? Get sharing. Get more from your blogging efforts by sharing and re-sharing (that’s the key). When you’re scheduling your blog posts, be sure to take the time to “re-schedule” them. This social sharing schedule timetable is a good guide for getting started.
ROI and Measuring What Matters: The customer journey is complicated! So is measuring the different types of marketing programs, because there’s really no way to do an apples-to-apples comparison. How do you attribute a “value” and ROI to each? This article from Click Z has suggestions for a good place to start.
Sales Renewal’s insight:
Each month we offer a roundup of useful, hands-on digital marketing advice from experts in their fields. We’ve extracted the most useful information into tips you can use, and we’ve also provided a link to the full articles in case you’d like to learn more. This month, our roundup of useful, hands-on digital marketing advice from experts in their fields covers SEO, ROI, online advertising, local marketing, and more.
February Digital Marketing Advice Roundup – Outsourced Marketing, the Role of SEO and More
Looking for more information like this? The Sales Renewal Advice from Across the Web page features a selection of the best, actionable marketing and technology advice and, importantly, adds our perspective. Think of it as a Marketing Clipping Service for the modern world.
Here, then, are our favorite tips for the month:
Marketing Plans: From Hubspot, some advice about What to Cut From Your Marketing in 2015. As is so often the case, the rule of thumb is, “everything in moderation.” Sure, it’s fun to jump on every bandwagon that comes along, but by keeping the big picture perspective, you can be sure your marketing efforts are targeted and – more importantly – something you’re able to do without being overwhelmed.
Outsourced Marketing: If you’re running a business, you may feel that digital marketing is something you can do yourself. But a recent survey shows that even small businesses- 35% of them – hire outsourced marketing firms to help them create content and maintain a strong digital presence. Learn about the many advantages of such a firm here.
Local SEO: How do you make sure your local digital presence is as strong as your physical presence? According to Search Engine Land, it’s important to look at the big picture. In Local SEO In 2015 – Look At The Big Picture, author Greg Gifford summarizes: “You’ve got to work on everything” and “You have to be a jack-of-all-trades.” Sounds overwhelming, but it can be done with the right tools and support.
LinkedIn Advertising: Many businesses have been successful reaching prospective customers on LinkedIn with Sponsored Updates. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. This article has some useful takeaways when considering a sponsored post on LinkedIn:
- Don’t talk about yourself.
- Keep it simple.
- Images matter.
Read the full article here.
Content Marketing: Got a blog? Get sharing. Get more from your blogging efforts by sharing and re-sharing (that’s the key). When you’re scheduling your blog posts, be sure to take the time to “re-schedule” them. This social sharing schedule timetable is a good guide for getting started.
ROI and Measuring What Matters: The customer journey is complicated! So is measuring the different types of marketing programs, because there’s really no way to do an apples-to-apples comparison. How do you attribute a “value” and ROI to each? This article from Click Z has suggestions for a good place to start.
Sales Renewal’s insight:
Each month we offer a roundup of useful, hands-on digital marketing advice from experts in their fields. We’ve extracted the most useful information into tips you can use, and we’ve also provided a link to the full articles in case you’d like to learn more. This month, our roundup of useful, hands-on digital marketing advice from experts in their fields covers SEO, ROI, online advertising, local marketing, and more.
Google Plus: the too often overlooked B2B social network
We’ve been making this argument for some time to our clients, so we whole-heartedly agree with Relevance.com‘s advice and infographic :
With Google Plus, businesses can personally target certain ‘circles’ to see and share information with – a great way to amplify business-to-business marketing content. Whether you’re just getting started, or looking to increase engagement on an established page, here’s a how-to to get started with Google Plus:
Sales Renewal’s insight:
With Google Plus, businesses can personally target certain their messages in a way that’s not possible on the other social media platforms … at least for free (i.e., without advertising).
How to Grow, and NOT, Grow Sales: SalesMemes 55 – Turkey Bosses
Sales Renewal’s insight:
Do you think he cooked his own goose too?
For a Thanksgiving post NOT involving #BadExecutionBob’s bosses, check out this week’s 6 T-U-R-K-E-Y Tips We’re Thankful for in Our Online Marketing, Analytics-Driven World post.
Visit http://www.SalesMemes.com every Friday to see the latest SalesMemes: the best and worst ideas to increase sales. See more #BadExecutionBob and his colleagues #GoodExecutionErica, #SmugMarketerSam, #HucksterHank, and #TrustworthyTom.
6 T-U-R-K-E-Y Tips We’re Thankful for in Our Online Marketing, Analytics-Driven World
It’s time for our annual “what we’re thankful for” post, and this year, we’re serving up the main dish, T-U-R-K-E-Y. Got some turkeys of your own? Let us know about them in the comments below.
Happy Thanksgiving from Sales Renewal!
T is for the Tools we use every day: We love tools like Yext for efficient Local Marketing; Scoop.it for our traffic grabbing digital clipping service; Moz.com, ahrefs.com, Google Analytics and our own “SRA” (Sales Renewal Analytics) for monitoring, measuring and analyzing marketing performance and ROI.
U is for Understanding: that one of the central keys to success is the ability to communicate accurately and effectively. It’s a skill you never stop learning, never stop using. Here’s a smart way to think about your efforts to communicate that will help you in almost every situation. U is also for understanding the right way to go about hiring a marketing firm to help with your marketing. Here are five key questions to ask.
R is for making our sites Responsive: If you don’t know if yours is responsive (a.k.a. mobile-friendly), or if you don’t know what we mean, you can read more here.
K is for Keywords: Where would online marketing be without them? Of course, the days when the main goal was to rank #1 for a keyword have long gone. But keywords are still, well, key to our business – from developing content for a website to monitoring actions resulting from SEO efforts.
E is for Employees: Don’t go it alone! Working with a team can go a long way to lightening the work load when managing a blogging and social media program. It is also in keeping with the “social” part of social media and social networking. Here’s how a successful content marketing program begins with your employees.
Y is for Yes, you can have fun: At Sales Renewal, we lighten up our week with a different SalesMemes every Friday. Plenty of fun and banter goes into creating this series of humorous looks at ways to grow, and NOT grow, revenue, but there’s also a lot of thought involved to keeping them relevant and on-message. Subscribe to this blog to keep up with Huckster Hank, Bad Execution Bob, Smug Marketer Sam, Good Execution Erica, Trustworthy Tom, and Good Marketer Grace.
Sales Renewal’s insight:
It’s time for our annual “what we’re thankful for” post, and this year, we’re serving up the main dish, T-U-R-K-E-Y…